SAN DIEGO - Residents in fire-stricken communities region-wide are in need of permanent housing, assistance with filing insurance claims and trauma counseling, among other things, according to a comprehensive report released Monday by a local foundation that manages more than 1,000 charitable funds in the county.

The San Diego Foundation has received commitments from local and national organizations and individual donors for more than $7 million for nonprofit agencies involved in fire recovery efforts throughout the county, according to the Community Needs Assessment Report 2007.

The foundation has received almost $6.4 million of the promised donations, it reported.

Monday's 140-page report, modeled after the foundation's needs assessment report after the Cedar fire in 2003, will set funding and distribution priorities for recovery efforts and be a guide to other funders, such as the United Way of San Diego County, said Sara Wilensky Napoli, a spokeswoman for the foundation.

Free kits that provide detailed advice for filing homeowners insurance claims, college scholarships for families who suffered financial losses and trailers for people whose homes were destroyed are among the efforts being initiated by the foundation to meet the needs detailed in the report.

"Even very sophisticated homeowners with good insurance need some assistance organizing their life after a disaster," Napoli said.

Other needs identified in the report include environmental recovery, such as habitat restoration and erosion control, and better preparedness efforts, such as using more of the most current fire protection technology available in construction projects.

Despite the report's comprehensive overview of needs in the fire-stricken areas, Napoli said that many needs may not be recognized for several months or years.

"Trauma, for example, hits in different ways farther down the line for many people," she said."We want to have counseling services in place for those who may need it in the future."

The foundation oversees money donated to the After-the-Fires Fund 2007, established to prepare for regional crises and make grants to nonprofit organizations that provide relief during and after a disaster.

Major grants will be announced in January, but nearly $86,000 has already been awarded to the San Diego Regional Fire and Emergency Services Foundation for equipment replacement for nine county volunteer fire departments, including San Pasqual, Deerhorn Valley and the Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove departments.

The foundation also granted the fire and emergency services foundation an additional $25,000 in "general support" for fire rescue teams throughout the county, the report states.

Last Friday, the Escondido-based nonprofit Interfaith Community Services Friday received a $300,000 grant from the foundation to provide housing for tribal, migrant and immigrant populations that Interfaith Executive Director Suzanne Stewart Pohlman said might otherwise be forgotten.

"Those checks have been delivered and many of those funds are already out doing good things in the community," Napoli said Monday.

Community leaders and volunteers who worked on the recovery and response efforts following the Cedar fire began gathering data and conducting interviews on Nov. 5 to compile the report, which was completed in 30 days. The report will be updated every 90 to 120 days as new needs emerge, according to foundation president Bob Kelly.

Contact staff writer Darryn Bennett at (760) 740-5420 or dmbennett@nctimes.com.